Never Too Late
by Sanetwin
Summary: Set After Special Education. The Glee Club have been harsher to Rachel lately and that has never bothered Quinn before but when she sees Rachel changing, the little comments finally getting to her. Will Quinn save Rachel in time? :
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Never Too Late

**Fandom:** Glee

**Characters:** Quinn/Rachel, ensemble, later side Brittana

**Rated**: PG-13 for dark themes

**Summary**: It was always so easy to make fun of Rachel, but now she thinks that the Glee club has taken it to far, will Quinn be able to save Rachel in time before something horrible happens?

**Timeline/Spoilers**: Spoilers for the latest episode, Special Education (I think that's it) But it is slightly AU

**A/N**: Lol, terrible at summaries, this fic is kind of Angsty but with a hopeful twinge to it towards the end…this whole thing will probably end up being three or four chapters, maybe.

Mercedes chuckles, bumping her fist with Artie as the rest of the Glee club giggles. Quinn does not bother leaning in to listen to them anymore; it is easy to guess whom they are talking about, Rachel Berry. Said girl sits rigidly in her seat, away from the rest of the club, isolated while she flips through her notebook, which is decorated with glimmering golden stars. Her heart aches for the girl; she hates how Rachel's deep chocolate eyes swell with tears, her chestnut bangs covering the hurt while she glances up at the group. In the past, it was so easy to make fun of Rachel, snide comments always just slipped from her smirking lips because with each comment, the girl's head would simply rise with dignity, seemingly growing stronger with each remark. One of the many things that Quinn had despised about the diva is that she knew that the second Rachel would get the chance; she would leave this school behind and become a star, leaving everybody behind in their own troubles. While Quinn grows older and becomes more and more like her mother, Rachel will be a famous star, she will forget all of the popularity-obsessed teens in this high school and as time goes on and more fans scream for her signature, she will forget all about Lima and the people in it. Every time Quinn would begin to feel sorry for the Little Diva, she would think about that and suddenly her heart turns to stone, snarling at the girl, grumbling that she would just _love_ to punch the shorter girl in the face.

However, when Finn dumped Rachel, Quinn saw subtle changes in Rachel's persona, she didn't talk as much and often gave away solos as if they were nothing. Rachel's presence became distant, one time Rachel was sitting right by her, scribbling mindlessly on her notebook, and Quinn had thought that they had recruited a new girl. When she had held out her hand for a welcome-to-the-club handshake, Rachel had looked up at her behind her bangs with mild confusion muddling her usually bright eyes. When people were not making fun of her, they ignored her and often forgot that she was even in the club, she has become a shadow of herself, and sometimes Quinn fears that she is the only one who has realized the changes in the girl.

Now Rachel often shows up to Glee late, if she shows up at all, she wears baggy sweatshirts over her usually bright, tight fitting argyle outfits.

So this is where they stand today, Rachel staring off into the distance, ignoring the malicious jokes floating around the room. Quinn's heart breaks slightly, willing for herself to stand and pat the burnette on the back, she isn't even sure what to call the girl sitting in front of her anymore, she sure is not the Rachel she knew in the beginning of the year.

Non-Rachel stirs in her seat and the room goes quiet, she stands up and walks to the center of the room, clearing her throat and squaring her shoulders like she used to, Quinn would be lying if she said her heart didn't flutter with hope of seeing the old Rachel back, bossing everyone around again. Will simply stares with astonishment and smiles at the girl, allowing her to speak.

"Fellow classmates, I refuse to pretend to not hear your hateful remarks towards me any longer. I would very much appreciate an apology for which a few key tormenters shall stand up and apologize, and may be followed with a hug and or high five." Rachel's voice holds the professionalism it used too but her rants lack the passion that had captivated everyone's attention, willing or not.

Has it really taken her this long to notice the dark bags under Semi-Rachel's eyes?

Quinn feels herself begin to stand up, but falls back down to her seat when Sam pulls her down cautiously. A moment of silence passes and Mercedes bursts into laughter, making the rest of them laugh at Rachel as well.

"Wow Berry, you get all huffy and you don't talk for months, and then you walk up and come up with that little monstrosity, I almost pity you, Dwarf." Santana snarls and semi-Rachel cocks her head, her nostrils flaring

"Last chance…" Her voice trembles slightly and Quinn wants to stand up, she wants to hug the shaking girl in front of the class, but she is to damn proud so she sits there and bites her nails hoping somebody would care enough to do it for her. Resignation burns in Rachel's brown eyes and she nods to herself. "One day you will all regret this, you will see how amazing I am and come to me begging me for forgiveness only to find that it is far too late." Rachel eyes Finn, hoping to get a glance from him telling her that he loves her for everything and forgives her, but he does nothing of the sort, he simply shakes his head and goes back to squinting at his homework with stupid confusion. Everyone but Quinn giggles at Rachel as she storms out of the classroom, her fists clenching furiously. Worrying her lower lip, she looks down at her hands,

Is she the only one in this room that was deeply disturbed by that speech? She sighs and suppresses the pain in her chest but she cannot stifle the glare she gives Mr. Shue when he simply shakes his head and gets back to trying to get songs for Regionals, he is the teacher, he may be obsessed in his own romantic world but he should be the one caring for students.

With a groan, she looks over to Rachel's now empty seat only to find her notebook, suffocated with golden stars. When nobody is looking Quinn slips down the room and hides the notebook in her jacket, somebody has to give it to Rachel. It isn't like she _wants_ to go to the Diva's house, no not at all.

When school ends, Quinn ignores Santana and Brittany, avoiding eye contact with everybody, whenever she wants to get somewhere quickly somebody _always_ wants to hang out, or someone needs a ride home, and Quinn can only handle one good deed at one time. Slipping into her car, trying to be as stealthy as possible, she drives to Rachel's house and ignores the nagging in her mind that reminds her that she actually knows where the girl lives.

With a sigh she steps up the snow dusted steps, silently appreciating the Christmas decorations and a friendly plastic Snowman greeting her at the door. She knocks but her lips curl into a frown when nobody answers, she raps on the door again, but quickly looses patience. For a moment she considers leaving and just giving it to her tomorrow…But then people will see her and ask her annoying questions, whispering 'Why is she talking with Berry?', that is the last thing she needs right now. No, she will just give it to her now and get it over with. Turning the knob, she smiles to herself when it opens, revealing the dark house of Rachel Berry.

_She is so trusting, leaving the door open and all _

She figured the Dads were not home so she doesn't try to walk quietly, turning on the light she calls softly for Rachel. She runs up the stairs to where she thought Rachel's room was. She stifles a chuckle when an otherwise white door has a large, golden star reading Rachel Berry in pink letters. The room is dark when she opens it and finds Rachel curled up on her bed looking more peaceful than Quinn has ever seen her. She takes her time in her room, placing the notebook on her desk she absorbs the small stars strewn around the tidy room. The famous elliptical sits in the corner of the room with a large paper, tethered at the edges and no longer has anything written on it. Turning back to Rachel, she notices a paper in the girl's hand. Quinn has never been polite, common courtesy was never drilled into her mind as it has been for Rachel, she does not think twice before snatching it from the sleeping girl's stiff hands.

_Hello fellow readers, _

_If you are reading this, you have probably noticed that I am not sleeping. _

_You may be wondering, why would I, Rachel Berry, kill herself, the answer is simple and has been in front of your eyes for quite some time, had any of you cared at all, you would have noticed the signs of depression and taken the appropriate steps to help. Had you done so, you most likely would not be reading this note today. Anyway, after years of torment from people who I called my teammates, it led me to this disastrous ending. I used to be able to ignore your comments but each remark grated at my confidence. I had hoped that my talent would make you see past my appearance, maybe be able to see past my personality that was wrongfully accused as horrible and ugly. None of that happened, you all hated me, no matter what I did or what I said, you still despised me. I tried my best to change myself and form myself into the girl you all wanted me to be until I realized that the girl you wanted me to be was nobody, I had become a spineless nobody and when I looked in the mirror, I had no idea who was standing in the mirror. It dawned upon me that I didn't want to be a nobody anymore, I am Rachel Berry and I will die Rachel Berry. As for my hopes for Broadway, if I can't convince a few hormonal teenagers to care for me and see through my flaws and love me for me then how can I get millions of grown people to care for me. I guess you need more than talent to be happy…I have to rap this up quickly because my Fathers shall come home and I am sick of being interrupted. I love you Dad and Daddy, I really am sorry, so sorry, and I just cannot take it anymore._

_Glee teammates, I will miss you, I hope, no matter how slim the chances are that you will miss me too. _

_Love, Rachel Berry_

_For Cliché purposes…goodbye cruel world._

A sob rips from Quinn's throat and the paper falls from her trembling hands, Rachel's still form no longer looks peaceful and a bottle of Tylenol sits on its side at the edge of her bed. Guilt, regret, remorse, how could she be so stupid? This is all her fault, tears blur her vision as she stumbles towards Rachel, brushing her hands on her pale face, brushing stubborn bangs out of her eyes. She searches for warmth, a pulse, anything that might indicate that Rachel isn't really dead, maybe Quinn came in time to save her. Flipping open her phone, she jabs in the numbers with shaky fingers, dropping the phone plenty of times in the process. A monotonic voice answers her and she feels herself scream into the phone, maybe dropping a few curse words.

"Ma'm you are going to have to relax and tell me what happened."

"It's all my fault. Oh my god. Berry, suicide, help damn it! Come here now!" her frazzled mind makes her speak in one word sentences as she gasps for air desperately, on the edge of hyperventilating. Her fingers brush against Rachel's neck and her breath catches in her throat, her heart skips a few beats when she feels a very small, barely perceivable pulse. "Thank God!" She practically screams and she can almost hear the woman on the phone wince at the sound.

"We are on the way, stay put" Quinn hangs up, barely listening; she grabs Rachel's head and caresses the girl in her lap, rocking the two of them back and forth. Rachel remains painfully still and she feels tears stream down her cheeks freely, her heart hammers in her chest as an ambulance alarms in the distance.

"Hang on Rachel; I am here, just hang on." She whispers into the little Diva's ear, "I am so sorry."

~~ (Later)

She waited for three hours at a creepy hospital, her nerves skyrocketed, she hates Hospitals, and they smell like death and old people. She waited for so long just so a model doctor with a bright smile told her that she had to go home, only family could visit Rachel. Quinn replied and said he belonged on Scrubs, he looked far to fake to be a doctor anyway. The tall man just sighed and glanced at his chart, his dark eyes gleaming and Quinn knows that she crossed a line, glancing down the hall longingly, wanting desperately to be with Rachel and see her for herself. She drags herself towards the door However; she hesitates at the door, "Just tell me that she is okay…"

"Yes, Miss, she will recover just fine and should be released in a few days, she will go back to her family. Her family has requested Rachel's privacy so I cannot tell you much more than the fact that she will live." Quinn sighs, content with the answer, she lets her feet drag her out of the Hospital, the past 24 hours have drained her emotionally and physically. When she finally reaches her car she practically passes out at the steering wheel.

Her last coherent thought; from now on, she will always protect Rachel; she will not take the smaller girl for granted ever again.

**A/N: I let my twinny twin Beta this so you will probably find Adjectives after every word, that's kind of her thing. I do most of it but she takes it to the next level of crazy descriptiveness **


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Never too Late Chapter 2

Fandom: Glee

Characters: Quinn/Rachel, ensemble

Length: 3,358

Rated: PG-14, R to be safe, for dark themes and swearing

Previous Chapter:

Sitting in this classroom is slowly becoming unbearable; everyone's clicks are starting to get to Quinn. Santana, Puck, Mercedes, and Finn are the "leaders" and everyone else follows their lead, laughing at their jokes and being spineless scum at the bottom of the school pyramid. To think, just last year the Glee club was a place for outcasts to get together and be friends, Quinn didn't know that there would be a secret hierarchy. She grits her teeth and Sam wraps her into a big hug that she shrugs out of, Sam is no better than the rest of them, he sighs

"You are so moody sometimes Quinn." He mumbles and she feels herself tense with irritation again, maybe she has been on edge lately. That tends to happen when you are the cause for an innocent girl trying to take her life. Her stomach does an uneasy flip as the images of a very pale Rachel lying limply in her arms explode in her mind for the twentieth time today. She winces and with a sigh lets her head fall between her legs, if she weren't sitting down already, she wouldn't be able to stand, she has not been able to sleep, that day replays repeatedly in her mind until she feels sick.

It has been two weeks, and she still hasn't seen Rachel, each day makes her more and more irritable. This is killing her, she used to be able to block the shorter girl from her mind by focusing on all her flaws. All she can see now is that hurt girl standing in front of Glee, looking half the person she used to be, giving us all one last chance to change her mind. She jumps when someone's hand wraps around her waist, a soft cheek resting against her trembling shoulders, she whips her head around wildly to find Brittany jump away, hurt muddling her green, kind eyes, a small frown taking her usually smiling features. Quinn's heart is still pounding when she hears Santana's growl from behind her

"What the hell is your problem Q? Don't hurt other people just because you are feeling all distraught and emotional."

"Ha, that's funny, because every time you open that fat mouth of yours you are hurting somebody. Dont take your own sexual frustration out on other people, Satan...Whoops, Santana" The Latina's jaw drops and Quinn sees red glow in the dark depths of her eyes and she knows that she has upset the devil. Artie chuckles and Tina smiles, Santana glares at the two of them for being out of their place, the darker girl straightens her shoulders, about to regain control of the situation, but Brittany simply rests her hand on the Latina's shoulder, brushing down her arm comfortingly

"Don't worry San; you don't have a fat mouth." The Dutch girl smiles at her best friend before walking towards Artie, placing a small kiss on his cheek. The simple movement makes Santana deflate, all the anger leaving her eyes and instead replacing with envy as Brittany hugs her boyfriend, Quinn is not sure if she has seen Santana sad before but she figures Santana being envious is the closest she will get to being anything but angry.

"All right guys, relax, I have found the perfect song for Regionals…Stone in Love by Journey." Quinn's head falls onto the wall with a large thump, she has never been so sick of this place before. The bell rings and Quinn jumps down the steps, rushing past her flabbergasted teammates, she cannot find herself to care what they think of her, she skips Cheerios practice. She is going to talk to Rachel today.

The Hospital is allowed to hold somebody for 72 hours before deciding to put them in a ward, keep them longer, or discharge them. Rachel would never go to a ward and she would not need to be in a Hospital for this long, no, she has probably been released. Not that Quinn has looked into it or anything.

Quinn walks up the steps of the Berry residence in a hazy state of mind, considering breaking in to avoid the awkward conversation with the Parents. With a groan, she finally knocks lightly and smiles when a tall black man opened the door with a ghost of a smile on his dark lips. Quinn's heart heaves painfully in her chest from the sorrow swirling in the man's eyes.

"Hi, I am here to see Rachel…" For a fleeting moment, his face contorts painfully before melting into a look of sympathy.

"Sorry, Rachel cannot see anybody at this moment." but then his eyes narrow upon the blonde, his hazel eyes smoldering with inquisition and Quinn feels herself blush under his scrutinizing gaze. "You look familiar."

_Your daughter probably came home crying about a horrible bitch that tortured her at school, that was me. _

"I called the ambulance two weeks ago." Immediately the man's expressions brighten and he opens the door wider.

"Well, anybody who saved my daughter's life can come in" She opens her mouth to protest but his large hand is around her shoulders as he guides her through the house

"How do you know Rachel?"

"I am…in her Glee club…" His expression tightens and the smile glides off his lips. "I know…we are all horrible." The man's large strides guide Quinn towards Rachel's front door. The blonde feels a small smile tug on her lips at the name flourished with golden stars in the middle of the door, stating proudly that beyond this door was _Rachel Berry's _room. Quinn snaps out of her thoughts when the man knocks lightly on the door.

"Honey, somebody is here to see you?" When he gets no response, he sighs, "I am afraid to say that you are not going to get much of a response out of her." His dark eyes sadden with incomprehensible pain as the father gazes at the door. "I don't know what we did wrong…she won't go to a therapist, you may not see it now, but she is a proud little girl." He continues to stare at the door, as if expecting Rachel to suddenly burst into the hallway with a list of things to do, to make up for the time she wasted trying to die. Suddenly he shakes his head and smiles at her again, "Where are my manners? My name is Hiram; it is a pleasure to meet you…"

"Quinn…Quinn Fabray," His smile becomes strained again and she feels her heart crush under the amount of remorse she put onto it, he walks away with his shoulders slumped.

The door creaks quietly as she opens it and the room is dark, clothes strewn about carelessly around the once tidy room, the room looked chaotic and in the eye of the storm sat Rachel Berry, her knees pulled up to her chest, her little head hiding behind her knees. Quinn can hear little trembling breaths escape the sleeping girl,

Is it sad to be relieved? At least she is breathing

She feels her maternal instincts begin to kick in, she has an impulse to wrap her arms around Rachel, and for once, she doesn't fight it. Falling onto her knees, she crawls slowly towards the shorter girl and lays a steady hand on her back. She rubs in soothing circles, thinking back to how her parents had tried to comfort her and she does the opposite. However, Rachel's reaction takes her by surprise and she falls backwards as Rachel suddenly jumps up, her dark eyes widening before narrowing, and an intense amount of anger fills Rachel's chocolate orbs as she glares at Quinn.

"What are you doing here _Quinn_? My father should not have let you in!" The Diva's voice is raw, her eyes are red rimmed around the edges, and puffy, yet her body shakes with anger as she stands up tall, her hands clenching.

"I came to see how you were, Rach, I was worried…" Her sentence drops off when she sees the brunette sneering, her jaw clenches furiously and Quinn is almost certain that she has never seen Rachel angrier before.

"You were worried? Why would you, of all people be worried about me? Me? A lowly nobody at the bottom of the social pyramid, and a whopping negative five on the popularity list?" Quinn winces, oh how she regrets that damn list, Rachel crosses her arms, Quinn can't help but notice how frail she looks even while angry, like a porcelain vase at the edge of a shelf. "And why would you even need to be worried, I went on vacation, you get nervous when the lead star leaves for two weeks to get away from you?"

Quinn blinks rapidly, she can honestly say she did not expect this to happen, she feels herself stare at Rachel in confusion wondering what is going on in the Brunette's head

"Rachel, we both know that you have not been on vacation…" Rachel glares, raising her eyebrows mockingly but there is uncertainty in her eyes and suddenly it all clicks in Quinn's mind. Nobody told Rachel that she was the one who cradled her on her deathbed and called the ambulance. For some reason, that hurts her more than she expected it to, knowing that Rachel still thinks of her as the Head Bitch Cheerleader. Rachel is trying to play everything off as nothing and tell everyone that she went on "vacation" knowing that nobody will look into it and just accept it as Crazy Berry went away but she came back, because she always comes back.

"Quinn, I don't know what you have heard but you have been severely misinformed." Rachel says with a smile and a nod, and she has to give credit to Rachel; she is a good actor. Even with tears in her eyes, she is able to speak confidently, as if Quinn is an idiot for thinking otherwise… and a part of her feels like accepting the lie and running away to somewhere safe. However, she ignores it because that is her damn defense mechanism, she always runs away and today she is going to actually be there for somebody, no matter how much it hurts her.

"Rach…I am so…sorry" The Cheerio worries her lower lip; she has no idea what to say, she has never tried comfort somebody like this. She decides to start from the beginning "Two weeks ago I saw that you had left your notebook, I went to your house to give it to you and your front door wasn't locked so I just walked in." When she says it now, she realizes that sounds a bit like a stalker and criminal and Rachel's expression of terror amplifies her fears but she keeps going. "Your parents weren't home so I walked up the stairs towards your bedroom…" Her throat begins to tighten, tears blur her vision and she pauses trying to regain her composure.

"No…no, no" Rachel murmurs, taking a step back, running a hand through her dark, thick, hair. "Not you…" Quinn ignores the turmoil in her chest and plays with the seams of her skirt, disregarding the feeling of her stomach twisting itself into knots over Rachel's words…._Not you._

"Hum…I went into your room and saw that you were sleeping…"

"You need to leave…Leave. Now…." The blonde feels her heart plummet in her chest, her fingertips digging into the soft fabric of her skirt. Quinn wants to leave as tears stain her cheeks, she thought that Rachel would be grateful that Quinn had saved her life and had come back; trying to help…this hurt too much but she promised herself that she would never leave Rachel again.

"Your room was cute…" She feels ridiculous adding that tidbit and Rachel only seems to get more infuriated "But then, I saw the note in your hands and I read it…" She chokes down a sob remembering that day all too well. "Once I realized what you had done to yourself, I ran to you, grabbed the phone and cradled you as I called the ambulance…I was so sc-"

"NO! Stop it!" Rachel's hands are entwined in her hair as she screams, "What do you want from me?" she cries, "You come here telling me you are so sorry, rubbing my accident in my face…"

"It was no accident Rachel…and I am so sorry that I didn't help sooner."

"You are so fucking sorry?" Quinn winces at Rachel's swear, she never swears, the word sounds rough on her tongue. "No, you are sorry for yourself, you never even cared for me; you just don't want to feel guilty anymore. Well don't worry, I relieve you of the pressure, but don't you ever come here again, pretending that you ever gave a shit about me." Tears stream down Rachel's tanned skin.

"Don't say that Rach… I…"

"Don't you dare call me Rach, if you ever cared…you would have talked to me, you wouldn't have thrown slushies at me. You wouldn't have let people torture me… If you ever cared at all, it was just a passing thought of regret before you laughed at everyone else's remarks." Quinn's heart twists painfully in her chest at Rachel's words and she wishes she could speak, her mouth hangs open uselessly and Rachel's eyes become vulnerable for a moment, as if waiting to be corrected but Quinn's mouth hangs open uselessly and Rachel straightens out again, her chocolate eyes hardening again.

"See, you can't even defend yourself, do you know why? It is because I am right, please Quinn, do not confuse caring for guilt. It will be a whole lot less painful in the long run."

A moment passes and Rachel stands there with her arms crossed and a carefully placed mask covering her expressions. When, Quinn finally finds her voice and she straightens her shoulders, wrapping her arms protectively over her chest to cover the gaping hole stretching painfully across her chest.

"Rachel, if I didn't care, I wouldn't have waited for three hours at the Hospital, just wanting to see if you were okay. If I didn't care I would have left a long time ago, I would have seen you smile and convince myself that you had gotten better. I am standing here, telling you I am sorry because I care, and I want you to come back to school because I care and I want to help you." Rachel's mask slips and she sees her chocolate eyes begin to swim with tears and when Quinn grasps Rachel's small hands in her own, the girl doesn't flinch or move away and Quinn can't help but feel victorious. A heartbroken sob wretch from Rachel's throat and Quinn feels her chest tighten again. "Hush, hush, its all going to be okay…" Quinn says, enveloping the girl into a hug

"How can you know that?" Her voice sounds broken; she has never looked so small.

"I know that because tomorrow you are going to school, and you are going to show everybody that you are stronger than them and then in a few years we will all pay to see you sing your heart out and people will shun us when they realize we were so horrible to the phenomenon that is Rachel Streisand Berry."

"I'm not strong, not anymore" Quinn brushes her thumb against Rachel's cheek and her heart flutters strangely at the incredulous look the girl gives her. "Nobody likes me, nobody will like me" The Cheerio's eyebrows furrow with frustration, this just shows her how much Rachel has changed, she was always so optimistic.

"Please, go to school tomorrow, and I will show you just how much everyone cares for you. But, honestly Rachel, why do you care, you are so much better than them, and me…their opinion shouldn't matter, it didn't used to." Rachel doesn't answer, she just stares into the distance and Quinn holds her until both girl's crying subside.

"Does Finn talk about me? Does he miss me?" Rachel's voice sounds so hopeful and her lips twitch into a small smile, looking at Quinn with a childish hope.

Finn was the only one to ever admit that he liked Rachel, and they dated for so long, claiming to each other that they were the power couple, he was the one. Therefore, it would make sense that Rachel would ask about him first, but she feels herself go bitter at the thought. The blonde attempt to shake off the twisting in her heart, biting her lip softly before her mind fails to come up with something to say.

Finn is dating Santana, the two of them threw themselves at each other, Quinn is pretty sure that Santana is using him to get over Brittany but Finn hasn't said a thing of concern towards Rachel, all he has done is ogle Santana. For a moment, Quinn contemplates lying and telling her that he has cried like a baby in her absence but decides against it, if she comes to school hoping to get back with Finn and sees him with Santana, she doesn't know what would happen.

"Finn….cares about you, he is just a stupid hormonal teenage boy, he doesn't see the signs." Even through Quinn's carefully placed sentences, Rachel gets the point and her face falls, looking incredibly crestfallen. "I promise they all like you, just give them one last chance…" _Give her one last chance._ Rachel bites her lip, "What can I do to make you go change your mind?" Rachel doesn't say anything but her lip trembles and she knows the girl well enough to decide what to do. Even on Rachel's darkest day, she still loves music. So the blonde straightens her spine, sitting straighter while her eyes flutter close, attempting to ignore the nagging nervousness suddenly building in her chest.

"Laying alone in the history that made you, cold and uncertain inside. Well careful now, deep breath, the water is still rising but the silver linings inside." Quinn smiles softly when she hears the brunette's breath break softly. "When you feel like you're breaking down and ya, your body's just giving in. And ya, you can't go on broken like this…any longer." The blonde feels her hand moving across the soft sheets, her fingers touching the soft skin of Rachel's hand. "Close your eyes, don't you cry. Let the sorrow within you subside, don't despair. Have no fear. Give your way to me, when you hear this Lullaby, lullaby.You say all seems so wrong with the life that you're living. You're searching for some reason why. You're so scared to trust. You're feeling unworthy. Aching for comfort tonight, when your heart's too sore to beat. And ya, you fear it might never heal. And ya, you feel not even beggars want you  
I do." Quinn takes a deep breath and she almost stops but Rachel's uneasy breath urges her on "Close your eyes. Don't you cry. Let the sorrow within you subside. Don't despair. Have no fear. Give your way to me when you hear…This lullaby... I can't remember anymore…" With a deep breath, Quinn's eyes flutter open, revealing swirling hazel eyes, staring intently on Rachel, whose sad, sunken eyes look captivated. Rachel sniffles again, and frankly, she looks exhausted, as if the life has been sucked out of her, but she has stopped crying and the look in her eyes aren't numb or distant. That is a start, Quinn smiles warmly as if to teach Rachel to smile again, seems like she has forgotten. "Please, Rachel, come back to school."

"Fine, I will go to school, but…don't be surprised when you realize that sometimes, things can't be fixed."

Semi-Rachel's voice is so dark, so depressed, if Quinn hadn't been looking at her right then, she would not have recognized the voice.

"Your doubt in me only makes me stronger…" she wiggles her eyebrows, trying to be as silly as possible, and her heart races in joy when Rachel cracks half a smile. "Okay…see you tomorrow?" She hates how real the question feels is but she smiles when Rachel gives her a small nod. Quinn beams at her, trying to show off as much happiness as possible, but as she leaves and waves goodbye to Rachel's parents the pressure of what she has put upon herself becomes real.

How is she going to convince Rachel that everyone does care for her? Even worse, how can she convince everyone that they care for her, themselves?


	3. Chapter 3

Length: 4,518

Chapter 3

Quinn is not feeling it today, nightmares plagued her last night, she did not have a wink of sleep and now the alarm clock is buzzing in her ears. Judy is practically singing Good morning to her with a bright voice that she has mastered, her blue eyes shining in the morning light gleaming through the windows. Quinn sighs softly, pulling the cool sheets off her. Quinn guesses that she is trying to make up for all of her past mistakes and taking up the role of the stereotypical mom. All rainbows and sunshine, she bakes muffins and smiles with the radiance of the sun, she doesn't let herself see the pain in their life, and whenever Beth is mentioned, she hushes Quinn and reminds her to never bring up the past.

Her mind is foggy as she stumbles down the stairs and eats her breakfast. Her mother eyes her warily as Quinn plays with her bowl of Honey-Nut-Cheerios, Quinn is almost certain that her mother bought it just to let everyone know that Quinn is in fact, a Cheerio now. Hallelujah! She can fit into her uniform again.

Today will not be a good day, the feeling sits in her gut and twists and churns as she plays with the soggy Cheerios, letting the cereal slush around in its milky bed. She groans and wishes she could just stay in bed today, but Judy pulls at her and eventually drives her to school.

Spanish class is a drag; Mr. Shuester keeps glancing longingly at the hallway, as if expecting Mrs. Pillsbury to jump into the room and tear off the engagement ring and proclaim her undying love for the Spanish teacher. He isn't the only one, she thinks, Quinn can't help but want a certain somebody to burst through the door and sing to the heavens about her newfound happiness. She feels like she has the girl's life on her shoulders, if she stumbles, Rachel will fall and become completely unreachable. The math teacher snaps her fingers and Quinn blinks, when did she get to Math? She blinks again, trying to get through her haze, the Math teacher shakes her head and Quinn finds another failed test in her hands, she doesn't even have the energy to care.

The uneasy feeling worsens as the day inches slowly towards Glee Club, where everything could go wrong, or worse. Quinn shivers at the possibilities of just how wrong today could go.

When she finally gets to Glee, Rachel is not there, dread and panic replaces uneasiness and her heart plummets as she eyes everyone's faces, feigned innocence etched across each of their faces as they examine their nails. She runs out of the classroom, her feet drag her through the hallways and as the late bell rings, people's eyes follow her while on their way to class as she frantically runs around looking for Rachel. Finally, her body jolts to a halt and she detects small puddles of Cherry Slushie making a perfect, guilty, trail leading into the bathroom. With a sigh, the blond opens the door and enters, fearing the worst. Her feet squeak against the white, slippery floor and her eyes squint against the florescent lights.

There, in front of the sink, scrubbing furiously against a ruined argyle sweater and with Slushie dripping down wet, brown hair stands Rachel Berry. Quinn's heart breaks as she steps closer. Rachel jumps at Quinn's squeaky entrance and turns towards her, anger emanating from her brown eyes. Her eyes turn cold and professional but her hands tremble while the flimsy paper towel crumbles uselessly in her hands. Carefully, Quinn takes another step and gently places her bag on the counter and takes a step closer, making her every move slow and cautious around the feeble girl.

"Who did this to you?" she grinds her teeth, trying to keep her frustration out of her voice. The little Diva's pink lips part for a split second and for a moment Quinn can see her pearly white teeth before her lips snap shut into a frown. Quinn's annoyance quickly turns to fury at seeing the smaller girl tremble "I am going to kill them." She spits out

"You act like this is the first time it has happened," Rachel says softly, going back to rubbing the slushie out of her sweater. "It was Karofsky this time, but everyone else laughed, it doesn't matter Quinn you are just wasting your energy." Rachel's voice is harsh yet detached as she focuses on her ministrations. Quinn does not know how to respond so she moves on.

"You should change, there is no way you can wear that today, here, I have clothes in my bag." Her agile fingers slip at the zipper and she cautiously unzips the bag, pulling out a folded shirt and jeans. The edges of Rachel's lips twitch upward and she grabs the clothes; expecting a warning, Quinn keeps staring stupidly at her until Rachel pulls off her sweater to reveal her tanned skin. The blonde's eyes widen while her heart flutters weakly in her chest, her cheeks now burning with her blush. Quickly, Quinn snaps her head away so quickly that she feels dizzy and she isn't sure if it is the rush of blood in her ears or if she just heard Rachel laugh at her.

When it is safe, Quinn turns back and her heart aches when she sees her own snugly fit clothes hang loosely on Rachel's wiry body. Her hazel eyes trace the loose clothes, wondering absently if Rachel was always this thin, so breakable. With a sigh she gestures for Rachel to sit down, she grabs a towel from her bag and follows the curves of Rachel's face lightly, brushing away the icy drink. Slender fingers run gently through the thick chestnut hair, the aroma of Rachel's coconut shampoo wafting through the air, the blonde absently leaning closer. Rachel's dark eyelashes flutter closed as Quinn cleans her off carefully, whistling softly to fill the painful gap of silence that had filled the room. Quinn cannot help but wonder that this would have never happened with old Rachel, immediately following that thought with a painful ache in her chest

.

Once the girl's face is completely cleared of the icy drink, Quinn brushes her thumb against Rachel's cold cheek but quickly steps back when the girl cringes. "We should go," is all the Diva says.

They walk down the hallway quietly, Rachel hugging her thin waist lightly, biting her lip as she eyes the patterns on the floor. Quinn reaches the classroom first and she glances in, seeing Mr. Shuester call off names of the teammates who are chattering endlessly. With a smile, Quinn opens the door for Rachel and follows behind her.

Everyone stops talking, eyeing Rachel with skepticism; everyone holds the same expression, their eyebrows furrowed down to their eyes and a tight frown on their lips.

For a fleeting moment, Quinn hopes that people will see what she has tried to fix these past couple of weeks. However, the moment ends and everyone blinks and shifts away from the sight of the skinny girl. Disappointment fills every inch of Quinn's aching heart, knowing that they have just written off Rachel's major weight loss as some dietary plan taken too far. Rachel sees the same thing and dips her head knowingly. They walk towards the empty seats, Rachel sits by Finn and Quinn sits by Sam, who immediately engulfs her with a hug and a kiss that she shrugs out of with annoyance. Rachel smiles at Finn and whispers something in his ear. Aggravation eats at the edges of her and she fidgets with her uniform wondering why Finn can make the girl smile by just sitting there while Quinn has to force it out of her. Finn sighs and shakes his head, Rachel frowns and becomes more animated as she tries to talk to the tall boy, but he simply shrugs. Quinn leans in closer trying to hear their conversation but she can only get bits and pieces. Finn's soft mumble holds disappointment and hurt "No…Stop apologizing…Santana…Cheat." Rachel dips her head, crestfallen, Quinn grits her teeth and feels rage eat away at her stomach, and she feels like she is going to be sick. Rachel smoothes her skirt down and nods her head, she stares at the floor and lets her feet draw patterns on the tile floor. Mr. Shuester quickly gains control of the room and smiles at Rachel.

"Welcome back Rachel, did you have fun on your vacation?" Rachel toys with her paper

"Yes." Is all she says, in a monotonic voice and Will blinks in surprise, expecting a rant about every detail of the vacation. Quinn's lip curls into a snarl, Will knows Rachel, he knows she would never take a vacation in the middle of a school year, she would never stop herself from a rant and she would be interrupting him right now trying to explain to everybody why she needs to sing another Streisand solo for Regionals. However, he does not connect the dots, for whatever reason, he just shakes his head and moves on. He may care, it's just never enough. Quinn throws a sympathetic glance towards Rachel, who is no longer looking up; she is engrossed in the stitching of her skirt and does not pay attention to anything else.

"Ahem…so anyway…everyone, what do you want to play at Regionals?" Another glance at Rachel's direction before looking at everyone else

"We should do jazz, spark up people's life." Puck says grinning, and Will is already shaking his head, shooting down the cocky man.

"Alright split up into a group, figure this out, if you don't I have the perfect song picked out." He grins and the club groans knowingly and when Quinn stands, Rachel stands, walking with her as a shadow. They collect into a group, and Mercedes already speaks up.

"I got this covered guys, I am going to sing 'I will Survive' By Gloria Gaynor, If any of y'all have a problem with that…" She glances at Rachel "The door is across the room, its perfect weather for a _storm_." Quinn clicks her tongue with irritation and Rachel winces.

"Hey Mercedes, how do you know everyone wants to hear some lame song from you, what about me? Or Artie or Tina?" One glance from the larger girl keeps Artie and Tina silent but Quinn keeps her eyes fixed on Mercedes. "What about Use Somebody by Kings of Leon?" Whispers of excitement flit around the room followed by Mike exclaiming about the choreography and Mercedes rolls her eyes "I think the people have spoken, oh and Mercedes? If you don't like that, the door is right there, storm out as you wish." And with that Mercedes sits still with her mouth hanging wide open in surprise, Santana takes the time to sit back coolly, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes, she looks like a cat with wise, mysterious eyes and a flicking tail. Quinn bristles, expecting a remark from her, instead Tina speaks up with pathetic hopefulness, and Quinn immediately knows what the shorter Asian girl is going to do. It is all about raising higher in the social pyramid, you attack someone who could potentially raise you one-step up away from the bottom. Tina smiles wildly, feeling the tension in the room

"Quinn, why are you suddenly defending…" her voice lowers "Rachel…" Her eyes dart to the brunette to see her in earshot, her spindly fingers knitting together in her lap. The girl's shy kindness almost makes her stop until her teammates lean in with interest, making Tina straighten her shoulders, loving the sudden attention. "You know, if I didn't know better, I would say you are trying to defend Rachel, what, is she doing your homework or something? A pathetic attempt as a peace treaty? Or maybe you like her," Tina grins and does a dramatic sigh. "Watch out guys, next thing you know she will be wearing argyle and we will never be able to shut her up." Quinn's mouth hangs open as people gasp and giggle, she has never heard such venomous words come from Tina.

Popularity is a cruel drug that poisons the kindest of people and now the group shuts both Rachel and Quinn out, accepting Tina temporarily and she grins with victory as Mercedes throws her arm around her shoulders as they gossip and giggle together. Rachel dips her head and Quinn feels herself snarl, she wants to shake Rachel and tell her to stick up for herself.

"Naw, since Rachel basically single-handedly won last year's sectionals for us that we should be nicer to the girl in case she were to _leave_ suddenly." Rachel's dark eyes flash at Quinn's with warning and she purses her lips angrily.

"Don't worry Quinn, Rachel isn't going anywhere," Artie says softly and he smiles kindly at her, she knows he was only meaning to soothe her and reassure her that Rachel wouldn't leave the club for anything. However, she feels herself bristle and she glares at Artie.

"You have no idea," Quinn growls furiously

"Stop it Quinn," Rachel's dark eyes glare at her and then she glances at the rest of the club, whose eyebrows are knitted tightly together. "And can you guys stop talking about me like I am not here? Please"

"Oh! There you are Dwarf; I almost didn't see you behind Quinn's raging hormones, speaking of which, Q, have you been slutting around again? Because you seem a little touchy." Santana says snidely and both Quinn and Rachel roll their eyes. The bell rings and Quinn storms away from her friends and follows Rachel's retreating form into the crowding hallway.

"Why do you let them do that?" Quinn grabs Rachel's wrist and turns her around, a little more fiercely then she meant to, Rachel's eyes flash angrily.

"It doesn't matter Quinn, you are banging your head against a stone wall and it is doing nothing but giving you a headache." The smaller girl takes a deep breath and glances around the hallway impatiently, as if she wishes to be anywhere but here, with her, Quinn's blood boils and she sinks her fingers into the soft flesh of her palm. "They are not going to change their opinion of me because you told them to, so I really appreciate the effort Quinn, but maybe it is time for you to realize that you have bitten off more than you can swallow." Quinn sighs and kneads her temples, trying to soothe the headache forming there. She stays in that position there until she hears Rachel's soft footsteps echo down the hallway.

"Wait? So that's it? You give up?" She yells out and the footsteps cease as Rachel stands across the hallway, rigid and still. "I won't let you do that to yourself, I swear to God!" She takes a breath as her throat chokes up on her and tears swell in her eyes once again. "It isn't fair for you to put your life on other people's opinions of you." Rachel doesn't say anything and Quinn takes a step forward, her voice going deeper and she prays that Rachel will hear her and understand "I like you, screw everybody else." Quinn blubbers out, turning red immediately. The Diva turns slightly just so that her face can be seen by the Blonde, her large, chocolate orbs swim with tears and Quinn knows that it is not enough, like Rachel has said before, she is like Tinkerbelle, she needs applause to live. And one person applauding in a crowd full of boos will not change anything. It isn't fair,

"I am not going to hurt myself Quinn, you can rest easily and hopefully move on from this situation, I see those black bags around your eyes, exhaustion doesn't suit you well." Rachel smiles softly but the gesture does not reach her eyes "But I can't stay here, I have talked about transferring somewhere else to my Fathers and they are pretty much willing to do anything. I will finish this Semester and then move somewhere far away…" Her eyes become distant, they do not gleam with hope and Quinn knows she doesn't expect much of a better life than she has now, no matter where she goes she can't escape that image of an old Rachel Berry, sad and wrinkled with nothing to call her own except her failure, resigned in her mind.

Quinn's shoulders slump hopelessly, and Rachel's lips curl into a sympathetic smile, Rachel is trying to comfort _her_. Her mind buzzes, trying to find words and convince Rachel to try to stay, but she comes up blank and her body remains stiff as Rachel turns to leave again. Her footsteps echo as her slim figure gets further from her and finally disappears behind a door.

She wishes she could tell somebody about Rachel, they wouldn't treat her so horribly if they knew about her, what she has done. They would think twice before throwing a Slushie in her face; if they had the nightmares Quinn has had.

She kicks the ground with an aggravated groan and strides away towards her mother, waiting patiently in her small red bug.

She is so frustrated that she does not see Finn practically hovering over Rachel, grasping her frail shoulders with tears in his eyes. As she slams the door of her mother's car and puts in her ear buds, her lips sing silently to the lyrics as she drowns herself in music, ignoring her Mother's soft "How was your day Sweetheart?"

_I wish I could save you, I wish I could say to you, I'm not going nowhere, I wish I could say to you…It's going to be alright _

Finn's body tenses, seeing Quinn kick the ground and practically sprint from the Hallway, huffing and puffing. His heartaches at seeing both of his ex girlfriends in pain, he has tried to ignore it over these couple of days but even he cannot resist noticing Quinn's standoffish attitude. And Rachel…Well, Rachel has been acting strangely for some time, he has been hoping that this was just another one of her dramatic acts because she had a lot of those while they were dating. However, lately he is not sure how long he can ignore it, people have begun to notice it and he feels responsible to take care of it. As the leader and Captain of the football team, it was his responsibility to take care of his teammates, no matter how badly they have hurt him. Broadening his shoulders, he strolls through the hallway and walks out to find Rachel out in the rain with mascara smudged and a frown that has replaced her usually wide grin.

"Hey Rach…" She turns around, startled but something lights up in her eyes at the sight of him and he grins to himself.

"Finn, nice to see you," She replies politely, nods, then turns back towards the street. He takes a deep breath and prepares himself for a pep talk, thinking back to how he would motivate his teammates in football to try harder. It was simple, just have a little pep talk with her, remind her that she is in charge and it is her responsibility to motivate people in the club, then move on and if he is lucky, see Santana tonight. His hand comes down onto her shoulder and he shudders when he can feel her frail bone beneath his hand, she felt so breakable. He spins Rachel around and opens his mouth to tell her something like 'people look up to you' but when as he gets closer to her, he notices the dark bags under her eyes. Her usually healthy hair lacks its vigorous sheen it had a while ago, her warm chocolate eyes seemed so distant and cold, and the creamy tan skin lacked its warm complexion, while that bright smile dimmed to a faint glow. Wheels start to turn in his head, clicking together enough information to conclude that she is going to need something more than a pep talk.

Finn runs his hands through his hair gently, letting out his breath slowly. The rain sprinkles and blurs his image of Rachel in front of him and he pulls them gently to the side and under the protection of the roof. Rachel is a lot lighter than he remembers and is easy to haul across the lot. She squeaks lightly and leans against the wall for support, her chocolate eyes swirling with dizziness. "What is going on Rachel?" she laughs again but her voice cracks slightly and she doesn't look the least bit happy.  
"You would never understand," she says softly, somewhere in the distance a car screeches away and Rachel flinches again "I am fine," Her voice is stronger but no happier.

"Please dont lie to me," He mumbles and shuffles his shoe against the wet cement "I have...heard things...and seen things, I have been willing to ignore those things, thinking that they were simple rumors but I need to know now."

"Let go of me Finn, believe me, you do not want to know"

"If something was wrong with me, I would tell you, I wouldn't take my pain out on myself or others...That is just selfish Rachel." Her eyes flash indignantly and she scoffs.

"How dare you, You-you, come to me after I beg for your forgiveness for _weeks_ and shower you with gifts, just trying to make you feel how terrible I feel for what I did, and how sorry I was. You come to me and tell _me_ that I am selfish!" She scoffs again and Finn remains silent, knowing that she is far from finished, but she remains silent, leaving another tally mark on the strange side for Rachel Berry.

"Rachel, you barely show up for Glee club and when you do, you are late. You rarely sing solos, when you know you are the strongest singer in there. Whatever is happening in your life right now, I think you should just be able to be professional and be the Rachel Berry everyone knows. Nobody likes to see you this way, sad and thin, they want their leader back and it is selfish to put the Club's life at stake for your own dramatic affairs." Rachel deflates and Finn gives her a comforting smile

"So, what you are saying is that I should stop expressing how I am feeling because nobody wants to see how sad I am. All they want is Rachel Berry, the easy victim who never gets hurt and never shuts up." Rachel says slowly in a monotonic voice, punctuating every word slowly, as if absorbing each word's secret meaning. "Because when I never shut up, they weren't happy, but when I never speak up, they are unhappy. Well if nobody is happy whether I listen to them or not, wouldn't it just be easier if I weren't here at all?" Rachel mumbles quietly, her eyes looking far off in the distance and Finn wonders if she is even talking to him, looks like she is just talking to herself.

"Well no, we need your voice and you kind of demolished the possibilities with Sunshine, it is kind of fair that you stay here for the team." Finn mutters, waving his arms lightly, letting her know that he is, in fact, still here, and standing in front of her. Rachel looks up at him, he sees a struggle in her chocolate eyes, and she worries her bottom lip, until finally she relaxes her body and lets out a long held breath. She inches towards him and lets her body fall against him, her small head resting on his chest. He bites his lip as he feels her erratic heartbeat reverberate through her, this is too much, he can't take her closeness. He looks down at the girl in her arms, desperately wanting to feel the love he felt just a month ago. However, the attempt is futile, because his heart doesn't react the way it used to, she should know how badly she has hurt him.

"Two weeks ago…" She takes a deep breath and he silently wonders what could possibly be so important. "I attempted to take my life," another pause and his mouth hangs open in shock, he half expects her to laugh and tell him that he has been "Punk'd", but she only sniffles and his heart breaks painfully. Looking down at her, he sees the girl's head snuggled into his chest and her arms clinging onto him desperately. Suddenly her breath comes in gasps and she is crying, "I took a bottle of Tylenol and I tried to end this way I have been feeling lately…I hate who I have become Finn but I can't find who I used to be. I have been looking desperately for her but all I can find is more of this emptiness." This information is too much for him; he pushes her away and ignores the flash of pain in her brown eyes.

"What the Hell Rachel? How could you do this to me? To the club! Remember about all those assemblies, Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem! Rachel, I would have never picked out you to be the kind of person to give up." He throws his hands in his hair, feeling his face go red with frustration…How could she do this to the club. To just give up so easily?

"I'm sorry I'm just not that girl anymore…The glee club could care less about me, I am good, but not irreplaceable. They will get over it."

His mind is blank, his body is cold as he tries to soak in this new information, Rachel Berry sniffles and takes a step back, sensing his sudden tenseness. His ex-girlfriend has tried to kill herself, this girl, who has cheated on him, this dramatic girl who has hurt him to a point where he can barely be in the same room with her. Yet, he cannot stand to have this feeling of regret; her attempt is partially his fault. However…how can he possibly help somebody who he cannot even look at without remembering her infidelity? He glances down at her again and his mind makes a decision, his lips crash down on hers in a desperate kiss. She gasps but doesn't move away and Finn pulls back from her and does his best to smile.

"I will be here for you Rachel, I…forgive you," He mumbles and Rachel grins, tears swimming in her eyes and she jumps into his arms.

Sometimes life is about sacrifice, his happiness for her life, the feelings he once held for her are gone and he knows that she is not the 'one' for him anymore but she needs him right now, and as a friend, he will be there for her, willing to press his own boundaries to keep her alive.

**A/N: I tried to make Finn caring but still in his own selfish, babyish kind of way. I am somewhat disappointed in this chapter but I got through it at least.**

**Half of the reason it took me so long to update is because I am waiting for an epic Wallpaper/Banner thingy and I wanted to pimp it out on this chapter but I am not the most patient person, so I couldn't wait any longer. :D haha **


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Never too Late 4

Length:

Rated: PG-14 dark content and a swear word :o oh no

Characters: Quinn/Rachel, Finn, Santana, Brittany

Chapter 4

**This chapter is a turning point in the fic, and if you have any questions, confused about anything, dont be afraid to ask. I was really tired by the end. :)**

**Oh! And thank you for all the lovely comments :) Thank you so much**

* * *

Quinn doesn't remember her dream; she just remembers the warmth of sunshine lightly touching her face and that happy, fluttery feeling in her chest. There is one word on her tongue, _Rachel Berry_, and that confuses her tremendously. She remembers her last conversation with Rachel; she looked so resigned and unhappy.

_You have no idea what you are doing, do you?_

Quinn sighs, and stares at the ceiling, helplessly, she told herself that she would make Rachel happy again; she _promised_ Rachel that Quinn would never give up on the girl, but she is beginning to feel hopeless around her. Rain can be heard from her bed as it rattles outside the safety of her home. She wills herself to open her eyes,

_It is another day, don't screw it up,_

Her muscles protest when she gets up, groggily preparing herself for a new day, she splashes cold water on her face. The dark hollows of her eyes greet her in the mirror, decorating her pale skin, the muscles flex along her jaw as her frown tightens on her lips. She never knew having a friend being depressed could ever make her feel this way.

Mercedes, Santana, and Brittany group around Quinn in the hallway, they share some boy magazine and giggle wildly, Mercedes flips through the pages hungrily and Quinn glances at a few of them without any invested interest.

"Hot Damn…Wow why aren't these boys at our school?" Mercedes mutters, biting her lip lightly, her eyes studying the page intently.

"They probably already graduated Mercedes; they are too old to be in High School." Brittany giggles, as if it is _so_ obvious. Mercedes and Santana share a glance and shrug, going back to ogling the Models in the magazine.

Quinn rolls her eyes, but when her eyes focus across the hall, her jaw drops. Anger ignites in her stomach, boiling her blood. She feels the skin of her face flush crimson as her eyes harden into a stone hard glare, sinking her fingers into the soft flesh of her palm. In front of her, stand Rachel Berry and _Finn Hudson_, holding hands. Finn smiles down at Rachel and she gives him a small, pained, smirk.

When did _that_ happen? Quinn holds down a growl at the horrible sight of them together, she had thought _they_ were over. Her stomach churns unexpectedly and for a moment, she fears that she is going to throw up. It was _that _disgusting.

"Quinn look at him, doesn't he look like Sam, just as hot." Mercedes makes a dramatic display of putting her hand onto her head in a fake-swoon.

"Hmm…yeah super," Quinn mumbles, never tearing her eyes from the sight in front of her. Mercedes grumbles and pulls at her wrist with irritable persistence, with a sigh, Quinn tears her eyes from the train wreck and glances towards the magazine.

A sun-kissed boy stares back at her with a smoldering gaze, blonde locks of hair, broad shoulders and curvy abs while a large fake smile plasters across his lips; he looked ordinary to her. She shrugs and glares at Rachel and Finn again, hoping that Rachel was truly psychic and would look at her.

"Alright Q, stop staring like a freak, you are bordering stalker status."

"When did _that_ begin happening again?" Quinn points hatefully towards the cuddly pair.

"I don't know, they are like Herpes, they just keep coming back, why do you care anyway?" Santana eyes her suspiciously. Quinn feels herself blush defensively and her voice lowering to a hushed whisper.

"I don't! _You_ are supposed to care; I thought you were dating Finn,"

"Yeah, exactly, we were dating, that boy is too clingy for me, he wanted to know every single fact about me and call me every second. It was exhausting," Quinn doesn't answer, she finds herself getting up, clenching her hands together, "What the hell do you think you are doing? You walk over there and you will just encourage the Freak to make more of a joke out of herself." Quinn ignores Santana; she steels her jaw and walks over to Rachel and Finn. Rachel looks up at her and smiles lightly, Finn stares longingly across the room.

"Rachel, I want to talk to you…privately" Quinn bites out, and Finn's eyebrows raise quickly as a moment of apprehension and giddiness falls upon him, and within a second, he kisses Rachel's temple and immediately bounds off. He grins as he high-fives his friend and leaves Rachel behind, looking slightly lost, in the dust of his abrupt departure. Quinn smirks, glad to have Rachel alone, "Wow, you and Finn…that was sudden," Quinn tries to sound happy but her voice comes out harsh and Rachel eyes her wearily,

"Yeah, it has been nice," Rachel's dark voice holds a little something and Quinn feels a jab of failure in her gut. "We got together over the weekend and our love has just…blossomed again, I feel like nothing has changed." Quinn's lip curls and she wants to gag at the words of their blossoming love; however, Rachel's voice remains monotonic, and Quinn knows that the shorter girl has memorized the words but her voice simply cannot match the same insane enthusiasm it used to. Rachel smiles, and although the gesture doesn't reach the girl's eyes, Quinn still feels sick.

Quinn has put herself through Hell, trying to make Rachel feel wanted, Finn just stumbles back into her life, and suddenly…Rachel is pretending that everything is just peachy? Quinn eyes the girl, Rachel is wearing a blue skirt and an argyle sweater with inky designs cris-crossing across her front; it looks like what she used to wear, except smaller, due to the girl's major weight loss. Rachel's tired, sunken eyes glance at her wearily and her slender arm hangs limply around herself, feeling vulnerable. Quinn licks her lips and takes a step back, trying to appear nonchalant. She hates herself a little bit when she gets a twisted sense of relief to know that Finn hasn't fixed the girl overnight with his obliviousness. However, at least she has the energy to make a real effort and Quinn has to give a point to Finn for that one.

"I'm sorry Rachel, but…you took him back? Just like that? After everything he has done to you?" Quinn's voice edges a whine, Rachel glares at her, her nostrils flare angrily.

"Finn isn't the problem in the situation, he was just hurt." Quinn laughs loudly gathering the attention of a few other students and they give her weird looks.

"No, Finn is the guiltless bystander who stood by 'innocently' as people tortured his girlfriend everyday, and that isn't wrong at all, he was just hurt." Rachel scoffs, and for a moment their was a flash of her old self as her spine stiffened, her cheeks pooling a darker red with the anger before she deflates, her chocolate eyes go cold and become detached once again . When she speaks again, her voice is distant and professional.

"Oh yeah, and you are just the innocent Cheerleader who threw Slushies at me for my entire sophomore year, no biggie, go ahead and make judgments." Quinn hesitates, deciding whether she should feel furious or hate herself. Rachel sighs and her voice becomes softer "I'm sorry, but I have no idea why you are so upset, Finn is doing his best to make me happy, albeit, he is hesitant at times and can make wrong decisions, he…" She pauses for a moment, as if truly thinking about what he has done for her, "He makes me happy, if you really cared about me, you would be happy for me." Quinn purses her lips, feeling hurt, like a slap to the face, and the point goes to…Hate herself. Rachel begins to leave and people glance at her wearily as the girl goes; it is easy to see the suspicious gleam in their eyes.

Suddenly Quinn feels like a Queen and her peasants are loosing faith in her leadership. _Quinn Fabray_ is not supposed to talk with _Rachel Berry_, let alone loose to her. So with a sigh, she tries to shake off the fact that she is just too tired to play this role. She puts on a show by putting her hands on her hips, jerks her head up snobbily, and glares at everybody in the hallway.

Immediately, the doubtful look in everyone's eyes drop along with their eyes as they loose eye contact with her and shuffle out of her way. Quinn follows the girl, determined not to be bested.

"I am just worried about you; you don't have to guilt trip me." Rachel scoffs again as they walk down the hallway,

"Despite your belief, Finn is actually a good guy and after what I have told him, I doubt he would ever do anything to hurt me."

At that moment, Rachel and Quinn stop at the sound of a familiar giggle. Rachel's mouth is still hanging open slightly after proclaiming Finn's true good manners. Quinn's jaw clenches and she grinds her teeth crossly at the sight of Finn, leaning against a locker, lip-locked with the one and only, Santana Lopez. Rachel's breathy "Oh…" makes the couple separate with swollen lips.

Finn's large body tenses and his head turns slowly towards them, his eyes wide with fear, as if he is already expecting to be hit. Santana's cold, black eyes remain serene as she smirks at them, looking completely relaxed by her betrayal.

The look is enough to set Quinn off, her already short fuse lights at the sight of Finn and Santana; she explodes and lunges at them. Her frantic mind cannot decide which person to hit first, they are both deserving, but her fist decides for her and in the distance, a yelp of pain can be heard from the Latina as Quinn's hand connects with the girl's cheek. Santana's inky eyes widen with surprise and her hand flitters towards her cut cheek, she feels the blood slowly trickling down her skin, crimson rolls down the length of her cheek and dark eyes snap to meet Quinn's hazel ones with smoldering animosity. Quinn swallows fearfully as the weight of what she has done settles in but she doesn't let it affect her façade, her expression remains cold and stoic, even as Santana leaps like a wild animal for her.

At that moment, it seemed as if both cheerleaders had dropped the acts of humanity and reverted to their animalistic ways. Feral snarls snap from bared teeth as they clawed fingers scratch against bare skin, catching hesitantly on clothes before ripping angrily at more exposed skin. Tension fills the room as students gather around the fighting girls, nobody willing to separate them. She reaches out, wanting to hurt everything about the girl, but when her hands find Santana's thick, raven, hair in her tightening grasp, her lips snarl with cruel intentions.

Santana pushes Quinn against the lockers, and Quinn gasps in pain as her back is jarred forcefully against the metal. The clatter of lockers being pushed against the blonde cheerleader's back reverberates against the now filled hallway. Santana leers at her, her lean body lurching forward to swipe at the cheerleader's face, but her arms wind around the darker girl's waist, and in an instant, the girl was slammed against the lockers with her. The surprised girl whimpers when Quinn yanks at dark raven locks and the sound is almost enough to make her stop, but Santana regains her composure quickly and claws at Quinn's stomach, sinking her nails into her soft skin behind the Cheerio's satin red cotton.

A thin gasp of pain escapes the blonde cheerleader's lips while she squirms uselessly away from Santana's death grip, glancing wearily at smoldering dark eyes, the twisted smirk of her best friend sending unpleasant shivers down her spine.

Santana's stinging hand slaps harshly against Quinn's cheek, the sound surprising many classmates from their hypnotized state, gaping incredibly, as tears swell in the cheerleader's eyes. Quinn gasps to catch her breath, blinking rapidly; time seems to slow down in a moment of unclearity. It was as if everything decided to move in slow motion, the curling fingers that dug into Quinn's skin stretched slowly with the bones sliding restlessly underneath caramel skin. She catches a look at the malicious expressions of the chanting students surrounding them, Rachel has a hand in her hair, an expression of distress and terror sketched across her face and her mouth is open as if she were screaming something. Quinn looks up just in time to see the look of her friend's face twisted in anger as her fist moves steadily towards her face. Fear twists in her chest and she ducks just in time for Santana's fist to hit the hard metal locker, a pained, guttural sound rips from the girl's throat as she jumps back, cradling her torn fist.  
"What the hell happened to you S? Do you remember a time when you had my back?" Quinn shrieks at the girl, Santana chuckles darkly.  
"I'm not the one who's changed, _Quinn_, when did you start walking over your friends like some God?" Quinn grimaces, wanting to wipe that smirk off the girl's face. However, soft hands pull her back weakly, Quinn frowns and turns back to see Rachel, visibly shaken.

"Come on Quinn, we should go." Rachel's large chocolate eyes sear into Quinn's gaze, worry etched upon her face. Slender fingers enclose around the cheerleader's wrist, pulling her from the scene, through the crowds of people and away from a seething Santana.

"No, you are always letting things go, they can't just get away with this!" Despite her words, Quinn follows obediently, keeping up easily with the short brunette.

"It isn't worth it Quinn, just forget it." Rachel mumbles her eyes downcast with misery. Quinn swallows down the giddiness that comes with the fight and tries to remain serious for Rachel.

"How can you be so calm about this? You don't always have to take the high road; Finn is asking to be slapped, wherever that boy is…" Quinn growls, whipping her head around to find where the coward has retreated.

"Somebody may get hurt," Rachel mutters quietly and Quinn giggles, feeling light-headed. Perhaps it's just the stress that's making her feel this way, or maybe it's the fact that she just is too tired of watching by the sidelines.  
"Well, that's the point silly..." Rachel only gets more upset, and Quinn finally stops pulling her. "Hey, its okay, I will find Finn...and we will both slap him, his head will whiplash, I promise." Quinn smiles down at the girl but Rachel isn't amused and the girl's passive personality finally begins to grate on Quinn's patience, "All right," The head cheerleader slings a slender arm over the frail shoulders of Rachel, guiding her to a new destination. The smaller girl's attempts to escape Quinn's embrace are feeble and eventually, the girl collapses against Quinn's side, breathless and exhausted. The cheerleader tries to hide a growing blush as Rachel settles comfortably next to her, the brunette's head nearly tucked into her side while the intoxicating aroma of coconut drifts to the her senses.

People eye them warily but the stone cold glare from Quinn makes them snap back into their obedient spine-less ways.

She smirks when she finds Finn due to his massive size, he hovers over most kids and Quinn half-carries the girl towards the young delinquent. Rachel begins to protest and squirm but Quinn is able to keep her contained, it wasn't too hard, enough Cheerios practice and she could hold anybody down. "You need to stop letting people walk all over you. _You_ get slushied and _I _want to catch the person who did it to you, you tell me that it is not worth it. Our very own teammates tease you and when I try to stick up for you, you tell me to quit it because it is useless." Quinn throws Rachel in front of Finn, "Now it is your turn, get revenge." Quinn taps Finn's shoulder and with a groan, he slowly turns towards the two girls, a pout already on his face; Rachel trembles.

"I'm sorry Rachel; I just couldn't take it anymore, after everything that you did to me…." He sighs dramatically "Every time I looked into your eyes, I saw the woman who cheated on me; I simply couldn't take it anymore." Finn makes a good show of pouting and shoving his hands into his pockets with a depressed sigh. "Before I knew it, Santana was there, she just took advantage of my pain…" Quinn rolls her eyes and waits patiently for Rachel to bristle and give him a drawn out lecture about infidelity.

Rachel just nods and takes a step back from the boy in front of her, and Finn grins with his boyish charm. He places a hand on her shoulder and Rachel's tremors become more prominent "I hope we can remain friends, and maybe…in a few years from now; we will be able to be together fully." Rachel just nods again and keeps her eyes glued to the floor; Quinn's jaw hits the floor with disbelief as Rachel lets Finn go.

"What the…you just…What?" Quinn blubbers and Rachel turns towards her, Quinn sees fear laced in the girl's eyes "What is wrong with you?" Quinn scrutinizes the girl in front of her and grabs her shoulders with frustration. The look of fear confuses her and concerns her all the same.

"I want to go home," Quinn pauses, she wants to slap the girl, she wants to shake her, do anything to make the girl angry, Rachel is eerily calm and it disturbs her tremendously. Before Quinn can say anything, the smaller girl has wrenched herself from her grasp and begun walking out of the school. Apprehension causes Quinn's body to jerk forward and chase after the shorter girl.

"Wow, wow, just wait a minute, it is pouring out there, let me drive you home." Rachel heaves a heavy sigh but doesn't turn to face the cheerleader.

"I want to be alone," Quinn practically growls at this statement. She feels her shoulders stiffen as her spine suddenly straightens, holding her higher up with a glare in her eyes. Hands on hips, she steps in front of the brunette and keeps her from her determined path.

"No way Rachel! I will not let you be alone, you are coming over to my house, we will skip Glee and school, my mother wont be home." Rachel becomes rigid,

"Please…I just want to go home…" Quinn is about to protest again but the steely look in Rachel's eyes makes her resolve crumble.

"Fine, I will drive you home, and I will text you, and if I do not get a response to my texts I am coming over there, immediately and or calling the ambulance." Rachel lets out a deep sigh before finally nodding her head.

"You are beginning to sound like me." Rachel mumbles and Quinn chuckles darkly

_Someone has to_

Quinn adjusts her grip on the steering wheel and makes another left, she is painfully aware of the fact that she knows exactly where Rachel lives, without ever being properly invited. Rachel chews on her lower lip and plays with a necklace hanging loosely on her neck; not a single word is uttered from the shorter girl, keeping the ride awkward and silent. Quinn steals secret glances from the corner of her eyes, appraising the shyness creeping over the once fiesty burnette, now just a shell of herself. Her skin stretches too tightly across her skin, her cheekbones now jutting out too prominantly while its hollows darken visibly. Everything just screams tired, the evidence of her lost of appetite is written as plain as day across her forehead. It's amazing that no one else has caught any of these signs. The cheerleader heaves another sigh, moving her sight on the curves of the street and the sweet cropped grass that marked each lawn of every house. The silence is becoming unberable, to a point where she just can't stand it any longer. She quickly opens her mouth and says the first thing that comes to her mind.

"How was lunch?" Quinn blubbers and mentally kicks herself; Rachel stops toying with her necklace and her exquisite eyes look dubiously into Quinn's eyes before sighing and leaning back into the seat.

"Just peachy…" a nervous laugh erupts from Quinn and she blushes when Rachel glances at her incredulously. The small crack of a smile from Rachel goes unnoticed by Quinn as she glowers at the road in front of her with embarrassment.

Quinn walks behind Rachel, walking her to the front door, she keeps her eyes glued to the floor and does her best to watch the rain drop onto the cement; she doesn't glance at Rachel's long legs, revealed from the short skirt she wears, nope, not once.

Rachel turns on her heel when she reaches the safety of her front door, her chocolate hair lay in wet curls and she squints against the rain. Quinn keeps her hands in the pockets of her uniform, she silently hopes to be invited in, and she doesn't want Rachel to be alone today; so at the expense of looking like a stalker, she stands still in front of Rachel. However, the girl ignores Quinn's silently pleading looks and smiles politely and locks herself into the dark and empty house.

Her heart hammers in her chest and she finds herself waiting in the rain…waiting for something. Her foot plays with a small flower, it's wilted, its whole body lies on the ground in defeat while its gorgeous petals lie scattered in a lifeless mess around it. Quinn grimaces, not missing the parallel; she walks towards her car and drives home.

~~~~ (Rachel pov) ~~~~

Quinn is standing in front of Rachel, with her hands in her pockets and a small, hopeful gleam in her eyes. She knows that Quinn wants to come in and Rachel almost gives in, she almost opens the door and lets her unexpected new friend into her house. She doesn't want to be alone but her body trembles with exhaustion and with a small smile, she solidifies her resolve and politely closes the door on the Cheerio. Rachel makes her way towards her bedroom and without Quinn's presence, she lets the weight of the day hang on her shoulders; she slumps them and hangs her head low, her feet shuffle clumsily until finally she collapses onto her bed. The blankets greet her with welcome arms, enclosing around her tightly.

She lets herself lay their for a long minute with her knees pulled up to her chest, she stares at the opposite wall, its bright butterscotch color. Rachel closes her eyes to the warm sensation of the memory, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

Her fathers were so anxious about getting a child that they had begun to prep the room a whole nine months before she had arrived. At the time, they hadn't known the sex of their child, so they painted it yellow. The warmth suffocates in her chest as she wonders if they wish she were a guy now, things may have been simpler for them.

She feels like gagging when Finn enters her mind, her fingers clasp at the cold sheets of her bed as the thought renders her helpless to the turmoil in her heart. She had opened her heart to him, told him every thing. She has no idea of knowing if he ever cared, but he didn't care enough, he kissed Santana and still expected forgiveness from it. She pledges to _never _tell anybody about what she had tried to do again, it was too painful. It is hurtful to see people that she wanted desperately to be friends with, despise her, and go out of their way to hurt her; completely oblivious of how much it truly hurt her.

It is unbearable to know that they could _still _despise her, after knowing how much she hurts and they still go out of their way to harm her. Bile rises in her throat and her stomach flips uneasily; finally, she cannot take it anymore and with a shuddering sob, she grasps the pillow and screams into it, muffling the agony in her shriek.

The depression subsides, she receives the pleasurable numbness charge through her, and she finally unclenches the wadded sheets in her hands.

There is only one exception, Quinn Fabray, the person she_ least_ expected to care, Rachel muses and she mindlessly fixes her skirt. There were several scenarios Rachel had put the teammates through in her mind, and in each one, Quinn had stood beside her sobbing team mates and grumbled about Man hands' annoying teenage angst drama.

A trifle of warmth settles in her chest, remembering the smile Quinn had given her, and she lets herself relish the feeling of being cared for; she looses herself in that little light in the darkness and hopes that it will not burn her.

~~ (Quinn Pov) ~~

Quinn's hand hovers over her phone anxiously but she drops it back onto the table, willing herself to give Rachel time. She runs a hand through her tussled hair and frowns when her hand runs over the rough patch on her cheek, and some dry blood comes off on her hands. With one final glance towards her phone, she sighs and shuffles up the stairs towards the bathroom.

She takes her time in the shower, letting her body warm up against the constant spray of hot water.

Her mind wanders back to earlier that day, Rachel had frozen up, Quinn couldn't understand the girl, how she could just stand there while Finn stood there and told her it was practically _Rachel's_ fault for him cheating on her.

Rachel had looked so scared…

~~ (Rachel Pov) ~~

The girl plays with her phone, wondering if she should do what Quinn asks or attempt to get some sleep. With a sigh, she lies her head down and closes her eyes

Quinn had looked at her so strangely after pushing her to confront Finn; Rachel knows that Quinn thinks that she is far too forgiving and calm. The truth is that Rachel has no choice, she cannot pinpoint the exact time in which she began to have difficulty in confronting people.

All that she knows is that it began happening after sectionals

_Santana is making a good show of trolling the hallways with her arms crossed and an intimidating smirk plastered onto her face. Rachel groans when Santana's relentless eyes fall onto Rachel, the girl had been doing nothing wrong by taking down her specially made Finn and Rachel kitty calendars she made. However, Santana must have thought differently because suddenly her locker slams closed with a loud metallic clang, leaving Rachel face to face with the Latina. _

_She knows she is in trouble from the moment she looks into the taller girl's eyes; she sees anger swirl in those black irises and she does her best to stand her ground without prompting the Latina for any unnecessary damage. _

_"How'd it feel like for the team to win sectionals _without_ your solo?" Her pearly white teeth gleam behind those red, evil lips, and for a moment they look sharp and demonic. Rachel ignores the malevolent gleam in Santana's eyes and grins at her_. Kill her with kindnessRachel_…she reminds herself repeatedly. _

_"I felt perfectly fine, thank you, I was rather relived to know that the club is not completely hopeless without my voice; the tie for first place could have been avoided had I been given the solo, but the team is well on their way." Rachel is proud of the confident and cheerful tone in her voice and nods with self-accomplishment. Santana clicks her tongue with impatience. _

_"You are replaceable you know, we can do well without you and your voice…" Rachel winces and Santana grins, knowing that she has struck a nerve with the Diva, Rachel closes her eyes as a million replies race in her mind; anger boils her blood and her knuckles turn white as she clenches her fists together tightly to keep her composure firm. However, when she opens her eyes to find the expectant eyes of Santana Lopez, she trembles. The strength she had felt moments ago evaporates into thin air; she trembles again and takes a step back as confusion muddles her thoughts, she doesn't know why she suddenly feels so scared._

_A small frown etches across her lips and she feels a painful tug at her heart as Santana's hurtful jab sinks past her usually impervious shield; whirling around, she hugs her books closer to her chest as a replacement shield and quickly walks away. Santana's expectant expression transforms into one of confusion then to anger, and finally settles onto disappointment when she sees the girl run away, she had always enjoyed fighting with Berry when she was feeling upset and the shorter girl always cooperated with eloquent stubbornness. Suddenly feeling bored, Santana shoves past the kids around her, feeling more and more aggravated that she could never perfect the 'parting of the dweeby students' that Quinn uses every day._

Rachel eyes the intricate designs on her floral bed sheets, her fingers trace the purple and violet flower petals mindlessly. That was the first time it happened, it was the most confusing but the least horrific of torment.

~~ (Quinn pov) ~~

Quinn wraps a towel around her body tightly and she runs her hand through her clean, wet hair with satisfaction. A quiet knocking on the door rips her from her peaceful silence and she throws a robe on and walks towards the door, only to find Sam smiling down at her kindly, he tousles his bleached blonde hair. His eyes wander over her body and a little flag goes up in her mind that Quinn shouldn't feel disgusted with that fact; he is her boyfriend.

"I noticed that you had skipped school and I thought that I could come over…maybe…spend some time with each other, we haven't had any time together…" His voice lowers to a whisper as he steps closer to her, his hands wrap around her body and he kisses her head lightly. He grins at her when she widens the door for him and she lets her lips curl upward but as he walks into her house, she grins at him and ignores the little nagging in her mind saying that hanging out with Sam should be the last thing for her to be doing. As Sam walks in, he grabs Quinn's waist and guides her towards the white couch in her living room. Immediately, Sam lies next to her and latches his mouth to her neck and she ignores the little pang of disappointment that they would actually be hanging out instead of making out. Sam's greedy hands roam over her body and she relishes the feeling of his soft lips against her skin, it makes her think of—

"Rachel was upset about Finn so she had me take her home, I'm not surprised though," Quinn interjects as she looks up at the ceiling thoughtfully and Sam sighs as Quinn once again directs attention away from make-out time.

"Yeah, I think Rachel is way to dramatic, didn't she cheat on Finn?" Sam mistakes Quinn's tone as condescending and decides to get on Quinn's good side by insulting Rachel. When Quinn purses her lips, he kisses her again and hopes that his answer satisfied her. However, the second he separates for air, her mouth is open again to speak.

"Yeah, and he cheated on me, you don't see me crying, and Rachel didn't even react! She just stood there and forgave him." Sam lets out a deep breath and looks at his girlfriend with confusion, she obviously is not angry with the little Diva but he hasn't known her to be defending the girl very often; when did his girlfriend begin calling the Diva Rachel?

"Well…" Sam eyes Quinn wearily and wishes that he could read her mind and tell her what she wants to hear so that they could go back to kissing. "Maybe she was afraid to tell him…" Quinn's eyebrows furrow and he tries to run his hands over her arms comfortingly but puts them back when she smacks his hands away.

"What do you mean?" Quinn mutters and Sam recoils slightly at the intimidating glare; suddenly she is the Head Cheerleader and he is being interrogated.

"Oh…well…like…nobody really likes her so, getting in peoples faces isn't going to change anybody's opinion about her."

Suddenly something clicks in Quinn's mind and memories ring clear in her mind

_Sunshine leaves New Directions and transfers to Vocal Adrenaline to escape the wrath of Rachel Berry; the whole club glares at Rachel hatefully. Rachel avoids everyone's piercing gazes and stutters over her explanation for the reason why. Why she had been so cruel; her excuse was her love for her fellow Glee members, but they just scoffed at her, because they knew better. Quinn sneers down at the girl, not only had she been so competitive and hurt an innocent girl; she had also transferred the major talent to a different club. However, Quinn could understand her desperate actions, because if Sunshine was talented enough and there was a choice between Sunshine and Rachel; it was undoubtedly known that the club would choose Sunshine. Competition was not acceptable in Rachel's eyes, because if she wasn't the best person in the group, she knew that she would be left behind.  
However, Quinn doesn't sympathize with the girl; she had been cruel and deserved to be punished…_

Another,

_Rachel enters the choir room with a piece of duck tape on her mouth, Quinn giggles; the girl outdoes herself every day with each dramatic display, she mumbles that it was an improvement to Santana and the two of them giggle harshly. Mr. Shuester doesn't have the same humor and he bristles at Rachel's rebellious display, he had yells at her for being selfish and petty. Quinn almost feels bad for the girl; solos are the only thing that Rachel really _had_ in this group. However, Rachel's obnoxious personality makes it easy to ignore the flash of pain embedded in those brown orbs and Quinn swallows the unsettling sensation of sympathy._

_The girl was far too obsessed with getting solos anyway.  
_Another,  
_Rachel sits alone in the choir room, and Finn stares daggers at her. Quinn doesn't understand why people are so upset with Rachel; Finn had cheated on her with Rachel, and Quinn had cheated on Finn with Puck, and Finn had lied to Rachel with Santana and had never even thought about how it hurt Rachel. Yet, Rachel gets the short end of the stick and ends up alone while people whisper about her. Quinn almost pities Rachel but she is far too proud to say that to the little Diva, so she remains silent; she is certain that later today, Rachel will be showered with slushies and it will all be under the name of revenge. Quinn represses the uneasiness, it was just a bad side affect of post-pregnancy, this sympathy she feels._

_It was Rachel's fault anyway, she had let anger control her actions and in return, she gets what she deserves, right? _  
Every single time Rachel had gotten sick of everyone's hateful remarks and she finally built up enough courage to stick up for herself, even if it was over the top. People simply looked down upon her as petty and selfish. Until one day, Rachel didn't stick up for herself and let people make fun of her and keep their slightly higher opinions of her while her heart is crushed by their remarks.

Sam smiles affectionately at his girlfriend as she stares straight ahead, completely in her own world. He takes the moment of peace to appreciate the girl, her hazel eyes swirl with wonderment, and he appreciates how those hazel orbs can appear soft and warm yet snap at attention within a second and be hard and cold. Quinn's eyebrows furrow deeper and creates a worry line on her forehead, and when the girl's face contorts with sadness, he lays his hands on her shoulders and shake her gently out of her reverie. Tears spring from her eyes and she jumps up in a heartbeat and lunges towards the door. "Wait! Where are you going? What about our time together, I haven't talked to you in weeks!" Quinn turns on her heel and looks guilty for a moment before glancing back outside.

"I'm sorry Sam but…Rachel…I need to talk to her…" Sam frowns and crosses his arms and attempts to appear intimidating.

"Who cares about Rachel? I am your boyfriend, are you going to choose that selfish snob over me?" Sam yells but it doesn't get the reaction of obedient guilt that he had hoped for, instead Quinn straightens her spine and glares at her boyfriend.

"I'm sorry Sam…" And with that, Quinn is gone, she runs into her car and within seconds a loud screech echoes through the street, leaving Sam behind with his mouth hanging open and his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

~~ (Rachel pov) ~~

Brown curls twist in Rachel's agile fingers and with a sigh she lets her eyelids flutter closed with the feeling of sleep finally begin to take her. Rain pours outside with melodic rhythm while the wind howls its melancholic song.

She thinks back to the day when she had decided to kill herself; she had thought that she was a genius. She would finally show her friends how she truly feels and make them understand that throwing slushies at a girl every _single_ day of her life can get to a girl, and calling her Man hands and Rupaul doesn't help at all.

It had played out in her mind like a tragic play where the Hero dies in the end but leaves greater understanding and acceptance to the people left behind. She would kill herself and when her friends find out about her death, they would finally realize their feelings for the girl they tortured every single day of her life. Finally, they would understand how much she meant to them, only to realize that it was far too late.

Everyone cries as Rachel's heartrending note finds its way into the hands of all her tormentors and idle bystanders,

The curtain closes and the audience gasps with tears in their eyes.

However, now she knows how stupid she had been for she cannot force feelings onto people who never felt them. Had she succeeded at killing herself, her teammates would have looked at her body with disgust; they would sneer and grumble that it was never _their_ fault. Rachel had simply been a dramatic, pathetic girl who could not handle the harsh life of High school.

Rachel sniffles, she had never wanted to die, she just didn't want to feel this way anymore; on that note, Rachel falls into a restless sleep with a frown on her lips and her eyebrows furrowed in distress.

~~ (Quinn Pov) ~~

Quinn kills the engine in front of Rachel's house and she finds herself, yet again, breaking into the home without any regard of privacy. Her head whips around, hoping to find Rachel baking cookies in the kitchen but eventually she narrows her eyes and finds Rachel's bedroom closed and silent. Quinn runs up the steps with familiarity, each hurried step echoes the pounding of her frantic heart. When she gets up to Rachel's door, she hesitates and her moral code finally catches up with her. She bites her lip but eventually her hand closes around the golden doorknob and turns slowly, opening the door and once again walking into the dark and gloomy room of Rachel Berry.

When she had first ran out of her own home and raced towards Rachel's house, she had thought that she needed to comfort the girl. Her mind had come up with several ways to tell Rachel that she needs to stop being self-destructive and that Quinn would be there for her.

However, now seeing Rachel's limp body sprawled over the mattress, Quinn comes to a completely different conclusion. Her breath comes out in hysterical gasps as she walks towards the girl and images fly into her mind from _that _day. Hazel eyes glance around the room for another note or an empty bottle of Tylenol; when she sees nothing, she lets herself inch towards Rachel's still form. Relief floods her as she sees a steady, slow rise of the girl's chest; she places her hands onto the girl's neck and finds a stable pulse. Tears fill her eyes and she lets her shoulders slump and she laughs at herself

_Rachel is sleeping…in her own bed! Somebody needs to take a chill pill…_

Quinn sighs and puts a hand to her face, if she continues thinking this way, soon she will be thinking that Rachel is dead the second she sits down. Her attention is directed back to the girl when she moans and shuffles sleepily away from Quinn's icy hands and with a small shiver, she immediately falls back into a deeper sleep.

The edges of Quinn's lips turn up before taking a deep breath and practically collapsing onto the girl's bed. The emotional roller coaster she has put herself through has left her physically and mentally drained and so she crawls closer to Rachel and lies quietly on the empty side of the bed.

She tells herself that she will only stay long enough for her parents to come home, even as her eyelids begin to droop and the yawns become more frequent. Before she knows it, her head finally falls onto the soft pillow beside Rachel with exhaustion.

Much later, a short man with glasses stands outside his daughter's room with his lips pursed and surprised etched across his face. With a yawn, he rubs his tired eyes, silently wondering if he has finally lost his mind or if he truly sees _Quinn Fabray_, the girl who has made his daughter run home crying with slushie stained sweaters, snuggling with his precious daughter. The two girls lie on Rachel's bed with entwined legs and the taller girl's hand lying innocently on his daughter's neck.

_Yes, I have gone insane_, he finally decides and with a sigh, he walks down the stairs.

"Did she understand why we had to work so late George?" Hiram's concerned voice gently bring him from his daze and with a smile, George kisses his husband lightly on the forehead and collapses onto the chair beside Hiram.

"Never got a chance to talk to her…Do you remember Quinn Fabray?" George mumbles tiredly and scratches his dark hair lightly. Hiram's lips curve up slightly into an exhausted smile and his eyes shine with fondness.

"She called the ambulance for our Baby, of course I remember, why?" George's eyebrows raise and with a sigh, he shakes his head, even more confused than before.

"Well, we will have company in the morning…" George mumbles and he smiles lightly as his Husband frowns with puzzlement.


End file.
